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Father's Day is Sunday the 16th and there never has been a better time to acknowledge some fathers who deserve our respect and honor. Not all fathers are wonderful people, just as not all mothers are wonderful people. There are plenty of disgusting, selfish, and evil folks who are parents. Creating a human being does not necessarily mean you are a good person. Most of us get that. The 5th of the Ten Commandments require we honor our father and mother, not that we love them unconditionally. Honor is required, love must be earned.
Compiling a list of the greatest fathers isn't too difficult. We might list our own father, or other personal favorites in our lives, in which case each of us with have different fathers who have touched us in a special way or shaped our characters to make us better people. Some might list famous celebrities or historical figures. George Washington, the Father of our Country, and Abraham Lincoln, the father of the emancipation proclamation, would be good examples.
Ultimately everyone's list of great fathers is a purely personal one. My own list is faith-based and more in terms of important fathers who have established and shaped the human condition. It is as follows:
I begin with the Lord G od, the father of the children of Israel. As it is written in Deuteronomy, "Ye (the people of Israel) are the children of the Lord your G od."
Adam, the world's first human father.
Noah, faithful, devoted and obedient to G od.
Abraham, father of the Jewish nation.
Isaac, son of Abraham.
Jacob, father of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Moses, father of two sons, father figure of the entire Hebrew people leading them out of slavery from Egypt.
King David, father of Solomon, one of Israel's greatest kings.
On the other side we might list some really bad fathers, men who did unspeakable acts and mistreated their children. But let's not go there. Father's Day is a time of celebrating the best of what it means to be a father. And a really good father is worth his weight in gold.
On a very personal note, I also remember my own father, who shaped who I am and for me was a great and loving father. I am grateful and fortunate that I had a father that, looking back, I honor and love as well. Not everyone can say that.
My wife was lucky too. Her father was a loving and good man whose memory she cherishes and honors all the time.
Happy Father's Day!
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